From farm accidents to heart attacks … here are the stories of some of the many people who owe everything to the ‘hospital in a field’
by Rachael Rowe
The buzz of the helicopter rotors as they come in to land is a familiar sound across Dorset and Somerset. This month Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance (DSAA) is 25 years old. Whether it’s a major road accident, a stroke at home or a fall from a ladder, the care that the teams give can save lives. To celebrate the anniversary, The BV has looked at 25 lives affected by the air ambulance, highlighting how the DSAA is critical to emergency care in the region.
In March 2000, Kenn Duffield of Dorchester was the first person to be treated by the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance after his motorcycle collided with a car near Sherborne. Although the accident occurred the day before the service was officially launched, the air ambulance team was ready: they mobilised and transferred him to Dorset County Hospital within minutes. Just over a year later, in September 2001, the DSAA celebrated its 1,000th mission.
Farms and difficult terrain
The air ambulance is a lifesaver when it comes to farming and rural accidents – it can get to places faster. When the front wheels of farmer John Harper’s quad bike dropped into a rut, he was catapulted over the handlebars and rolled down the hill: ‘down, down and down.’ the air abumalnce was only able to land at the top of the hill, and the crew needed the help of the hazardous area response team to get John to the helicopter. He was airlifted to Southmead Hospital in Bristol (see his full story here).
In 2022, Kevin Groves from Bridport got his legs caught in farm machinery. Thanks to the quick thinking of his mother and the swift arrival of the air ambulance, his life was saved, although he did ultimately require an amputation.
Specialist services were critical when Leanne Reid from Wellington had an accident on the M5. Medical teams treated her at the scene before airlifting her to Southmead Hospital in Bristol.
Due to the extent of her injuries, Leanne, then a mother of two, was told she may not be able to have any more children. However, she has recently given birth to her third child, now ten months old. She told The BV: ‘It’s hard to put into words. The air ambulance made a huge difference. Without them I probably wouldn’t be here.’
Leanne has raised money for the air ambulance to thank them (although her new baby is keeping her busy at the moment!).
Fundraising for the DSAA
DSAA receives no direct funding from the Government or the National Lottery and relies on the generosity of the public for support. Its operational costs are more than £5 million a year: each mission costs around £3,500 and in 2024, they responded to 2,909 emergency incidents. A close encounter with the air ambulance has inspired many people to fundraise for the service.
In 2015, Anne Roots of Nutley Farm near Winfrith was in a serious horse and carriage accident (see her full story here) and was treated by the DSAA team. Over the last five years she has raised £52,000 from Christmas light displays on her farm.
Sam Snowden was airlifted to hospital after a climbing accident on the Dorset coast in 2022: in a tribute, he successfully ran the Welsh 3000s, raising money for DSAA.
Sadly, not all patients can be saved, but the air ambulance has given bereaved families a focus. Joe Abbess was 17 when he was caught in a rip current off Bournemouth beach. Despite the best efforts of the emergency services, they could not save him. Since then, his family has raised more than £5,000 for the air ambulance and continues to raise awareness of water safety.
Minna Leatham was seriously injured in a head-on collision on the A30 east of Shaftesbury in 2020. Her partner Hugo Yaxley did not survive. Following her recovery, Minna has raised more than £22,000 in memory of Hugo for both the DSAA and Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance. Hugo’s family also donated a trophy for a cycling challenge in aid of DSAA, helping to raise much-needed funds.
Swift action saves lives
Summer is a busy time in Dorset – people come on holiday to enjoy the coast and countryside. Jonathan Belke, on holiday near West Lulworth, was walking with his wife when he suffered a cardiac arrest. Two bystanders started CPR, and when the air ambulance arrived, treatment was given at the scene before Jonathan was transferred to Royal Bournemouth Hospital where he recovered.
The DSAA team includes pilots, critical care practitioners, paramedics, nurses and doctors, working from 7am to 2am, 365 days a year. Whether landing by a roadside, in a park, in a field or on a beach, they ‘bring the hospital to the patient’, providing complex and life-saving interventions at the scene.
Phil Gregory was about to attend a family party when he suffered a cardiac arrest. Paramedics confirmed he was having a heart attack and the air ambulance was about to fly to Bournemouth when Phil’s heart stopped. The team defibrillated him and kept him alive while he was flown to hospital.
Drummer Russell Poole was also saved by paramedics and the air ambulance when he had a cardiac arrest while playing in a gig in Weymouth.
Being able to perform CPR is critical before help arrives. After a wonderful day in Lyme Regis, Stephanie Lehmann was about to drive home when she felt unwell: then her heart stopped. Her partner and bystanders performed CPR until the air ambulance arrived to transport Stephanie to Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton.
Initially thinking he had bad indigestion, Paul Rockett managed to call his wife before collapsing in his ‘man cave’ industrial unit on a very hot day (see his full story here). His wife arrived in time to perform CPR before the air ambulance’s arrival and the paramedics took over.
Keith and Mary Trimby live near Henstridge, where the air ambulance is based. Astonishingly, both needed the DSAA services within 12 months of each other, and both required resuscitation. The couple are now well at home.
Specialist centre transport
The DSAA not only gets people to heart attack centres rapidly, it also ensures people get the specialist care they need. Children are particularly vulnerable and their condition can change rapidly. When six-year-old Betty Boland fell after climbing on a neighbour’s workshop roof, she sustained a serious head injury.
DSAA got her to Bristol Children’s Hospital in 20 minutes so she could get lifesaving treatment from specialists.
What started as earache for young Ella McGuigan turned into severe mastoiditis. After she collapsed, her father performed CPR while waiting for the air ambulance. The DSAA landed on uneven ground at Parley Common before it was decided that Ella would be transported by road to Southampton General Hospital for urgent care.
Since recovering, Ella and her family have continued to fundraise for DSAA.
Sophie Dobbin was born with heart problems and just before her first birthday, collapsed. The DSAA got her to the heart specialists in Bristol in 20 minutes: a road journey would have taken over 90 minutes.
Both time and specialist care make a significant difference in saving lives. Lucy Warren was transferred by the DSAA to Southampton for treatment for a severe stroke. When Harry Hollowell had a ten per cent chance of survival after being crushed by a 10-tonne telehandler, DSAA flew him to Southmead Hospital in Bristol where trauma teams saved him. After Issy Jarrett was helped by DSAA after a road accident, she went on to work for the NHS at Musgrove Park Hospital.
Working together
When Preston Nicol-Hinde’s car flipped into a ditch filled with muddy water, he was unable to release his seat belt and was trapped below water.Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue got him out before DSAA conveyed him to Southmead in Bristol for emergency treatment (see his full story here). When 13-year-old James Clark needed lifesaving emergency surgery, DSAA flew him from the Isle of Wight to Southampton.
In 2023 Patrick Grant suffered life changing injuries when a concrete wall fell on him.
‘My accident was while I was working in Sandbanks. I can’t remember anything about the accident or air ambulance … but without them I probably wouldn’t be here. We really need them. It is a great, great service to have, anywhere in the world.’
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